Reasons for Emergence and Sustenance of Bureaucracy(Max Weber's Bureaucratic Model)

Reasons for Emergence and Sustenance of Bureaucracy (Max Weber's Bureaucratic Model )
●Monetisation of Economy : A bureaucratic administration requires a stable system of taxation; the latter in turn requires a money economy.  No proper bureaucratic administration could develop in olden days due to the prevalence of barter system and the absence of a money economy. 


●Increase in Organisational Size:  A large size necessarily requires division of labour . Technical efficiency requires expertise . Coordination requires hierarchy and rules . Hence bureaucratic ad3tends to grow up in every large- scale organization. 

●Complex Nature of Administrative Tasks: The increasing complexity of civilization and the consequent demands upon administration also led to bureaucratization.  Modern means of transport and communication such as highways , railways, telegraph and telephone , facilitate the Functions of bureaucracies and help bureacratization .

●Requirement of Efficiency : Capitalist market economy is based upon competition;  and competition compels increasing efficiency among all competitors. Since efficiency requires bureaucratization modern Capitalist enterprises are unequalled models of strict bureaucratic organization.

●Establishment of Rule of Law:  The rule of law means equality the law or lack of arbitrariness which is ensured by bureaucratization to some extent. 

●Emergence of Market Economy :A market functions without regard for persons. Hence a market economy necessarily leads to impersonality which in turn helps bureaucratization . 


●Concentration of Means of Administration : Before the rise of the nation state , feudal vassals and tax farmers owned the means of administration.  In the nation state these means came to be owned by the central authority resulting in bureaucratization .

●Levelling of Social Differences : Bureaucracy has mainly resulted from modern mass democracy, which has involved the levelling of economic and social differences. 

●Permanent Character of the Bureaucratic Machine: Once it is fully established bureaucracy is among those social structures which are the hardest to destroy. 



Characteristics of Official in Bureaucracy

1. He is personally free (and not a servant to anybody personally ) to an official position on the basis of a contract;

2. He exercises the authority delegated to him in accordance with impersonal rules and his loyalty is expressed through faithful execution of his official duties; 

3. His appointment and job placement depend upon his technical (administrative ) qualifications;

4. His administrative work is his full- time occupation; and 

5. His work is rewarded by a regular salary and by prospects of regular advancement in a lifetime career.


 Control over Bureaucracy (Weber)
Collegiality At each stage of official hierarchy more than one person should as a matter of right be involved in taking decision. E.  g.  British Cabinet.



Separation of Powers  Dividing responsibility for the same function between two or more bodies . This system is inherently unstable. 

Amateur Administration  This system could not measure upto the demands for expertise which modern society made . Moreover where amateurs were assisted by professionals it was always the latter who made the real decisions.

Direct Democracy It is practicable only in local administration and the need for expertise was a decisive counter-weight.

Representation i.e.  through elected representative in assemblies or parliaments . It was through this medium that Weber saw the greatest possibility of a check on bureaucracy. 




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